seniors

News acorns

October 14, 2015

Joanne Lurgio

Joanne Lurgio appears at next LOMA event

The next LOMA (Lincoln Open-Mike Acoustic) event will feature Joanne Lurgio at the Lincoln Public Library on Monday, Oct. 19 starting at 7 p.m. Lurgio, who will perform a half-hour set starting around 8:30 p.m., has four CDs to her credit, including this year’s Rise from the Storm.

LOMA is a monthly event. Performers can sign up at the event or email Rich Eilbert at loma3re@gmail.com before noon of the open-mike date for a slot. Names of those who signed up by 7:15 are drawn at random. There is a sound system with mikes and instrumental pickups suitable for individuals or small groups. In case of overflow, the first 20 performers to sign up will be given priority.

Variety show benefits L-S foundation

Want a good laugh? Come see teachers and staff at the 12th annual LSRHS faculty/staff/student Variety Show on Friday, Oct. 23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kirshner Auditorium at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School to benefit FELS (Foundation for Educators at Lincoln-Sudbury) and the L-S Teachers’ Association Scholarship Fund. Acts include live music, dance, film, comedy and more. New this year are acts involving both students and school staff. Tickets are $6 for students/senior citizens, $8 for general admission. Advance sales take place October 19-23 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. outside the L-S cafeteria. For further information, email Paul Sarapas at paul_sarapas@lsrhs.net.

Medicare info session on Oct. 30

Anyone on Medicare as well as their family members and other caregivers are encouraged to attend the Medicare 2016 Open Enrollment Insurance Update Session on Friday, Oct. 30 at 10 a.m. in Bemis Hall. This session offers an opportunity to learn about changes in Medicare’s benefits and costs and to get information directly from representatives of supplemental insurance companies and the state’s Prescription Advantage program. The program will be presented by Don Milan and Anne Meade, Lincoln’s SHINE counselors, along with staff from the Minuteman SHINE Program, which provides unbiased information regarding health insurance and prescription drug options for seniors and those with disabilities. Also on hand will be representatives from the major supplemental health insurance plans; Anthony Moreschi, Constituent Services Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark; and Priscilla Leach, the town’s Veterans Services Officer. It is co-sponsored by the Lincoln Council on Aging and Minuteman SHINE.

Milan and Meade also provide free one-to-one counseling for Lincoln residents who need help signing up for Medicare, choosing among plans, applying for Medicaid/MassHealth, deciding about whether long-term care insurance is appropriate, resolving problems related to Medicare, and more. To arrange for an appointment, call the Lincoln Council on Aging at 781-259-8811.

Letter to the editor: attend campus master plan forum

October 13, 2015

To the editor:

This letter is urge all to come to the first forum hosted by the Campus Master Planning Committee on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 7-9 p.m. in the Brooks Gym.

Lincoln is about to engage as a whole in crafting a new, big idea. There is an opportunity to create a legacy project that will serve now and for generations to come. This is the type of project that Lincoln has been famous for—big-picture, holistic thinking, and making large, long-term investments.

Campus Master Plan Committee schedules forum

September 30, 2015

The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option.”

The Lincoln Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) invites all Lincoln residents as well as Lincoln School faculty and staff to attend its first public forum on Thursday, Oct. 15 from 7-9 p.m. in the Brooks Gym.

The CMPC, which was jointly formed by the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee in June, is in the process of evaluating the infrastructure and layout of the Ballfield Road campus to inform plans for the renovated Lincoln School and a contemplated community center building. The group met regularly throughout the summer and is working alongside external consultants LLB Architects as they review the earlier School Building Advisory Committee efforts and the Community Center Feasibility Committee study conducted last year, share initial findings, and solicit input from the community—especially those who visit the campus frequently.

Town officials and consultants also presented options and price estimates for both projects at the November 2014 State of the Town meeting.

Residents are also encouraged to attend one of two follow-up CMPC forums on Friday, Oct. 30. The CMPC will present at the PTO’s monthly meeting from 8:15-9:30 a.m. in the library story room and also at a Council on Aging session at 1 p.m. in Bemis Hall.

October doings from the Council on Aging

September 27, 2015

bemis Here are the October activities hosted by the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Hot jazz for a cool fall afternoon
October 1 at 2:30 p.m.
Whether you like your jazz hot or cool, you’ll love the Trad Jazz Sextet free concert on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 2:30 p.m. at Bemis Hall. This roving band of jazz-lovin’ retirees will have you on your feet dancing one minute, then reminiscing to favorites that will bring back sweet memories the next. Nothing is better for lifting your mood than music, so treat yourself to an afternoon of fun, entertainment, and uplifting old-timey tunes.

Wellness clinics for all ages
October 2 at 10 a.m.
All Lincoln residents are invited to meet with a nurse at Lincoln Woods’ Community Building at 50 Wells Rd. on Friday, Oct. 2 from 10 a.m. to noon. These clinics are funded by the Ogden Codman Trust and provided by Emerson Hospital Home Care. [Read more…] about October doings from the Council on Aging

Meetings on affordable housing, Hanscom coming up

September 17, 2015

The Hanscom Area Towns Committee (HATS) will host several officials who will speak about plans and activities to maintain and enhance the Hanscom Air Force Base on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Town Hall.

Chris Willenborg, the recently appointed executive director of the Massachusetts governor’s Military Asset and Security Strategy Task Force, will discuss the task force’s plans and activities. He will be joined by MassDevelopment’s expert on military installations, Senior Vice President Anne Marie Dowd. Adam Freudberg, senior advisor to the chief technology officer at the base (and former executive director of the task force) will discuss efforts to enhance the base’s collaboration and innovation activities.

The public is welcome to attend all HATS meetings, which may also be viewed live or several days after the fact on Lincoln public access media via lincolntv.pegstream.com, Verizon channel 33, or Comcast channel 8, or viewed several days later by going to lincolntv.pegcentral.com.

HATS is an alliance between the Selectmen and other officials of Lincoln, Concord, Lexington, and Bedford, focusing on Hanscom Air Force Base, Hanscom Air Field, regional transportation, and other regional matters.

Affordable housing forum

Come learn about what the Lincoln Housing Coalition has been working on in the recent past and the current state of the town’s affordable housing stock at a forum on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 1-3 p.m. in the Town Hall’s Donaldson Room.

Attendees can hear and discuss plans for the future, learn what the state requires in order to allow accessory apartments to be counted in the town’s affordable housing inventory, discuss the benefits and the costs of pursuing this option, and weigh in on what can or should be done about the growing number of elderly who can no longer afford to live here (see this letter to the editor from Lincoln Housing Commission member Sharon Antia).

The Lincoln Housing Coalition is a collaboration of the town’s Housing Commission, Affordable Housing Trust, and the Lincoln Foundation. Housing applications are available by calling Elaine Carroll at 781-259-2613 or clicking here.

Two library programs on Isabella Stewart Gardner

September 4, 2015

Jessa Piaia performs in period attire.

The Friends of the Lincoln Public Library are offering a special two-part program on the life and legacy of Isabella Stewart Gardner.

On Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m. in the library’s Tarbell Room, character re-enactor Jessa Piaia will present a dramatic portrayal of Gardner in “A Visit with Isabella Stewart Gardner: America’s First Patroness of the Arts.” The drama is set in 1910, seven years after the opening of Fenway Court, the house-museum which Mrs. Gardner designed and built for her extensive art collection, and willed to the City of Boston upon her demise. A recognized leader of Boston’s emerging salon scene, Gardner, with characteristic verve and candor, relates episodes about her luminous circle of family and friends, relives journeys to exotic lands, and shares other potentially scandalous encounters. The portrayal runs approximately 50 minutes, with an informal Q&A to follow. Free and open to all.

On Saturday, Nov. 7, a guided tour of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum with reduced price admission and bus transportation from the Lincoln Library to the museum is being sponsored by the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library. The bus will leave the library at 12:30 p.m. The tour is scheduled for 1:45 p.m. and the bus will leave the museum at 4 p.m., returning to Lincoln by 5 p.m. Total cost is $25 per person payable by check to the Friends of the Lincoln Public Library or in cash. Signup at the Library will begin the first week in September. The trip is limited to the first 20 people who sign up.

Council on Aging activities for September

August 25, 2015

September 1 at 2:30
Coffee with artists Victoria and Bill Pearmain
Join Lincoln-born artists Victoria Pearmain (painter) and brother Bill Pearmain (multimedia visual artist) on Sept. 1st at 2:30 p.m. at a coffee to celebrate their exhibit at Bemis Hall’s Lincoln Artists Gallery. The exhibit will include paintings, photographs and sculpture and will be on view September and October. Victoria graduated from Massachusetts College of Art and her work has been in many shows and collections. Her paintings are primarily plein-air. Bill’s studies include New England College and Brandeis University. He has also exhibited in multiple shows and collections.

September 2 at 1 p.m.
Meet with an aide to Congresswoman Clark
You are invited to Bemis Hall on Wednesday, September 2 at 1 p.m. to meet with Anthony Moreschi, Constituent Service Representative for Congresswoman Katherine Clark. He will be available to assist residents with Social Security, Medicare and MassHealth/Medicaid. You are also welcome to discuss other matters that he may be able to help with. [Read more…] about Council on Aging activities for September

Campus master plan design consultant approved

August 2, 2015

The Community Center Study Committee’s “preferred option” for the site of a new community center on the east side of the Lincoln School campus (see the Lincoln Squirrel, March 26, 2015).

The Campus Master Planning Committee (CMPC) has selected LLB Architects of Pawtucket, R.I. as the design consultant for the Ballfield Road campus, where the town hopes to build a new community center and renovate the Lincoln School.

The School Committee and the Board of Selectmen, which jointly appointed the CMPC, approved the hiring in mid-July.

“LLB brings a wealth of experience and a talented team of experts to the campus master planning project,” said Town Administrator Tim Higgins. “This is one of the most important projects facing Lincoln right now. We recognize that the plan will need to accommodate both the current and future education and recreational needs of our town’s resident population. I’m confident that LLB will be able to successfully assist the Campus Master Planning Committee in their charge to study the basic infrastructure and physical layout of the Ballfield Road campus and inform the planning for the contemplated school building and community center projects.”

“LLB’s technical experience, team-based approach, community focus and ability to see the ‘big picture’ make them a solid choice,” said School Committee Chair Jennifer Glass. “The project team, led by Project Executive Greg Smolley, has completed more than three dozen publicly bid projects in the Commonwealth in the last five years.”

LLB Architects, formerly Lerner Ladds Bartels, was founded in 1936. Their portfolio features design work on the Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles and several projects at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island. In Massachusetts, the firm has done design work on public libraries in Bolton, Maynard, Scituate, Walpole and Watertown as well as the town halls in Acton and Harvard.

A report by Abacus Architects and Planners last March estimated that a community center just east of the Parks and Recreation pod on the Hartwell side of the campus would cost about $13 million, including a new access road, parking lot and repairs to the pods. The new building would be home to the Parks and Rec and the Council on Aging as well as various community groups.

For the rest of the summer, the consultants will review data on the campus’s physical and geographical conditions (roads and parking, wetlands, septic systems, major trees, etc.) and establish the short and long-term programmatic needs of all potential stakeholder groups. They will present their initial findings at a public workshop in October, where they will also gather public input and “identify conceptual options and present positive and negative aspects of each,” according to the firm’s preliminary project approach and timeline.

LLB will also make a presentation and gather input at the State of the Town Meeting on November 14 and at another public workshop in December before submitting their final report before the end of the calendar year.

“Lincoln is a community that values its historical buildings and spaces and engaging the public in setting direction for the future,” said LLB Project Executive Greg Smolley. “All of us at LLB Architects treasure the history of New England and have built the firm on a wide range of civic and public projects. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to work with everyone in Lincoln and are looking forward to getting started.”

For more information, residents are encouraged to attend any of the committee meetings, which are posted on the CMPC web page.

Council on Aging activities in August

July 31, 2015

Did you enjoy the strawberry social? Come hear more jazz!
August 6 at 2:30 p.m.
Did you hear the Lincoln Traditional Jazz Sextet belting it out while you munched away? Did you like what you heard? Well, there’s more where that came from. The sextet will be back at Bemis on Thursday, Aug 6 at 2:30 to give you their renderings of those tunes and others like them. So come on down, put your feet up or tap them to the music, and hum along. What better way to spend a pleasurable hour on a summer afternoon?

Veterans summer BBQ
August 10 at 12 p.m.
Veterans and their spouses are invited to a special barbecue on Monday, August 10 at 12 p.m. at Bemis Hall featuring a delicious lunch of barbecued pork or chicken. The COA is hoping to create a dynamic veterans community here in Lincoln and would love to see you and your spouse at the barbecue. You must sign up by calling the COA at 781-259-8811 by August 3 so that they will have enough meals. Unfortunately, they will not be able to accommodate those who do not sign up. A $5 donation is requested.

What you need to know about rescuing animals
August 17 at 10 a.m.
Lincoln residents share our backyards, our conservation land, and more with animals who come from the wild or, sometimes, may have been bought as pets but then left on their own for one reason or another. Knowing what to do when you encounter an animal, especially one who may be sick or who is in danger, is essential to your own and the animal’s safety. Find out about the animals you may come across in Lincoln and what to do when you would like to help but do not know how. Daniela Caride, President of the Board of Phinney’s Friends, comes to Bemis Hall on Monday, August 17 at 10 a.m. Caride will also discuss the mission and services of Phinney’s Friends, a Lincoln-based nonprofit dedicated to helping people keep their pets in times of crisis.

Searching Consumer Reports online free
August 20 at 10 a.m.
Consumer Reports has information about products from cars to airlines to cleaners to shoes, food, insurance, and everything in between. Because the Lincoln Public Library has a subscription, any Lincoln resident can search for product reviews from their homes on their computers for free! Get a demonstration of how to do this when Kate Tranquada, one of Lincoln’s reference librarians, comes to Bemis Hall on Thursday, Aug. 20 at 10 a.m.

Is your home safe for your pets?
August 24 at 10 a.m.
Sometimes even the most loving home can be dangerous for pets. Food, plants, medicine, and household chemicals can be toxic. Furniture with sharp edges can cause injuries. Pets can get locked into rooms, dryers, and other places. Buttons and strings can cause choking and more. Find out what you need to know to make sure your home is safe for your pets when Lincoln veterinarian Doug Meade comes to Bemis Hall on Monday, Aug. 24 at 10 a.m. Doug will let you know what to look out for and answer your questions.

—Hold the date: Friday, Sept. 25—
Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate
Learn about the U.S. Senate in an interactive and exploratory way on a trip to the new Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the US Senate on Friday, Sept. 25. After a short introduction, folks can independently wander through the museum with a tablet which allows them to engage fully in the democratic process. An issue of the day also enhances the experience. A full-scale replica of the U.S. Senate Chamber and other exhibits are also on view. The Institute opened this past March to rave reviews. Note that this is a self guided tour with quite a bit of walking, but that there are places to sit throughout the building. The tour lasts between an hour to an hour and a half. The bus will leave the Lincoln Mall at 9:30 a.m. and return about 3 p.m. The cost is $15 per person. Lunch is still to be arranged. For more information about the Institute, go to https://www.emkinstitute.org. Signup begins in September.

News acorns – 7/6/15

July 7, 2015

The Lincoln Minute Men march down Lincoln Road on July 4.

Watch video of the July 4 parade

Harold McAleer has posted a video of the first few minutes of Lincoln’s July 4 parade. Click here for a five-minute version or watch the full 18-minute version (including a glimpse of the Lincoln Squirrel at the 13:20 mark).

Berkshire condo rentals benefit Friends of the COA

A generous Lincoln resident has donated 20 nights at a time-sharing condo resort in South Lee, MA in the Berkshires, just 20 minutes from Tanglewood. All proceeds from renting these condos will go to benefit the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of Lincoln’s senior citizens.

These condos are two bedroom/two bath with sleeping accommodations for six, including a sleep sofa in the living room. Each condo has multiple TVs, controllable air conditioning, a Jacuzzi tub, and many other amenities. One condo is available from 4 p.m. on Saturday, July 25 until 1 p.m. on Friday, July 31. Two other two condos are available from 4 p.m. on Friday, August 14 until 1 p.m. on Friday, August 21. The condo that’s available in July rents for six days at $1,500 and the two condos available in August rent for seven days at $1,700 each. All three condos are also available at $265 daily, with a minimum two-day stay.

This is an unprecedented chance for you to relax in the bucolic Berkshires this summer, enjoy world-class music and an feel good about helping Lincoln seniors weather next winter’s frigid blasts! Call (617) 378-1415 for further information on how to make these donations to the Lincoln Council on Aging.

Codman meat now available

Stop by the Codman Community Farm store to purchase Codman-raised beef and pork right from the freezer. Packages are individually priced and marked. This is an honor system, so please be sure to fill out a payment envelope, enclose cash or a check, and place it in the payment box. Products include bacon, ham, hamburger, sausage, ground pork and more, and all meat is free of antibiotics and hormones.

Scholarships announced for Lincoln graduating seniors

The Lincoln Scholarship Committee announces the winners of two awards and two named scholarships for Lincoln graduating seniors for 2015. They are:

Clara Cousins received the Fanny Campbell Award for academic achievement
Leah Kanzer received the Sumner Smith Community Service Award
Katherine Flanagan received the Ogden Codman Scholarship
Savannah Snell received the Ogden Codman Opportunity Scholarship

The Lincoln Scholarship Fund also offers need-based scholarships based in part on the community’s response to its annual appeal letter. The recipients of those scholarships will be determined in mid-July. To date, Lincoln community members have contributed $4,695 to the Lincoln Scholarship Fund 2015 appeal. The members of the committee are appreciative of all those who have helped launch these seniors on their next steps in their education. Anyone wishing to add to this support may do so by sending a check to The Lincoln Scholarship Committee, P. O. Box 6283, Lincoln, MA 01773.